Chapter 18: The Treatment of the Poor

After finishing off the Wolf King, everyone retracted their respective mechs, bandaged their wounds, and stayed in place to rest and recover their strength.

Zhuang Yun scavenged the battlefield, hoping to find something she could sell for money.

Nothing! Not a single thing!

She looked up at her "Lingkong," which had lost a leg—she would have to pay out of pocket for repairs again!

The hatch of an S-class mech opened, and two men with upright figures and cold temperaments jumped down. They bowed slightly: "Young Master, apologies! We are late."

Jiang Mingxu gazed silently at the two expressionless faces before him. A complex emotion flickered in his eyes, but he remained silent.

He knew very well that only when he was at death’s door would the secret guards arranged by his father appear to protect him.

However, deep down, Jiang Mingxu did not crave such help.

He did not want to rely on the shadow of his father; he hoped that one day, he could earn his father’s recognition through his own strength.

Yet, failing to defeat even a single S-class star beast—this self-realization pierced his proud exterior like a cold blade, forcing him to face a bloody truth: in the face of absolute power, he was so weak.

Suddenly, two sharp whistling sounds cut through the silence. Innate vigilance caused the secret guard to instinctively shield Jiang Mingxu tightly beneath his body.

A sense of foreboding filled the air.

"Bang! Bang!" Two gunshots rang out.

One of the secret guards shuddered violently. Blood gushed from his chest; the cold bullet had struck his heart, and he quickly lost his life.

Jiang Mingxu watched the guard who had protected him for over a decade, and grief surged in his heart like a tide.

"Don't move! Everyone! Hands up!" The leader rode a giant SS-class Tengu, a large cigar hanging from his mouth, a cold smirk on his lips.

A rideable star beast!?

Zhuang Yun had never seen one before. Why hadn't they mentioned this?! She looked toward Lin Yiwen and the others.

The others were equally shocked. Tamed star beasts only existed in the military districts. Only top-tier combatants with SSS-class mental strength had the ability to tame star beasts and use them in war.

They had never heard of such a thing appearing outside military zones; if it had, those who saw it were likely silenced...

A chill ran through everyone.

Behind this man stood over twenty mechs and more than thirty masked men with guns. If anyone made a move, they would fire without hesitation.

"I was wondering why the Wolf King ran this way. Oh, look at that! You destroyed the beast core!" The leader’s gaze swept over the group.

"Speak up! How will you compensate me?" His tone was filled with threats and provocation.

Jiang Mingxu tried to stand up in anger, but he was quickly tied up by two tattooed brutes.

"Then I suppose you'll have to pay with your lives!"

"Oh? There’s a female Taoist in this group?! Come to my room tonight and tell my fortune!" The leader leered at her.

"How dare you!" Lin Yiwen immediately stepped in front of Zhuang Yun to protect her.

"Heh, trying to be a hero—Taoist, you should know your place." The leader kicked out, landing squarely in Lin Yiwen’s stomach.

Seeing this, Zhuang Yun guessed who these people were.

She looked at the leader with a face full of admiration: "You must be the legendary, fearsome leader of the Robber Hunter Group!"

"Uh."

"Your fame has long spread throughout the world. It is my great honor to see your true countenance today."

"My admiration for you is like the surging river, endless and continuous!"

"Noble sir, your forehead is broad and your chin is well-defined; your brow radiates an extraordinary air of nobility."

"Your face hides infinite fortune and longevity. One can tell at a glance that you are destined for great wealth."

The others: ...

"Ha! So you're a fan of mine! You’ve got taste!" The leader laughed smugly and turned to the others, "Men! Tie them all up!"

Then, the Robber Hunters brought over more people—the survivors from the third and fourth squads.

Out of forty people, only a dozen remained.

A vice-leader held a gun nearby and shouted: "Everyone, hand over everything you have."

Resigned, the group handed over their mechs, light-computers, and space pouches.

The vice-leader carefully inspected everyone’s belongings, letting out gasps of amazement from time to time.

"Boss, look at the balance on this guy’s light-computer—two hundred million!"

"What!?" The leader looked at Jiang Mingxu with deep, meaningful eyes.

"Boss, these two have over a hundred million on their light-computers, too."

The leader looked at Leike and Lin Yiwen with the same meaningful gaze.

Zhuang Yun was the most shocked of all! What?!

So I am the poorest one after all!

"Hey, this female Taoist only has two hundred..."

"..." No wonder she uses such a broken mech.

"Why are you looking down on the poor!"

The leader only looked at Lin Yiwen: "Young man, you’re quite stingy, aren't you?"

In the end, the Robber Hunter Group captured a dozen people. Others were tied up tightly, but Zhuang Yun was left empty-handed.

Zhuang Yun asked the leader: "Why the discrimination?"

The leader: "Because this is the exclusive treatment for the poor."

Zhuang Yun: "You certainly have a good eye!"

The others: ...

On the way.

Zhuang Yun whispered to Jiang Mingxu: "If I take down their lair, how much of a bounty do you think your father will give me?"

Leike looked at her in disbelief: "You really value money over your life!"

Jiang Mingxu was in low spirits and didn't want to talk to Zhuang Yun: "Probably quite a bit..."

"Don't worry, I'll rescue you all!" Zhuang Yun began to fantasize about the dream of being worth millions.

They arrived at the Robber Hunter Group’s lair, hidden deep inside a giant cave. Lights flickered inside as eight or nine hundred people came out to greet them.

"Boss Chen, a bountiful harvest today!"

"Boss Chen, this girl is nice. I want her!" One man licked his lips, looking ravenous.

"You wish. The boss will definitely enjoy this one himself," someone teased from the side.

"But this female Taoist—she has a unique flavor..." The speaker drawled, his eyes full of mischief.

"Hahaha..."

Boisterous laughter echoed throughout the cave.

"And that man—the blond one with the blue eyes, I want him!" A bearded man pointed at Leike.

"Damn it." Leike walked on, suppressing his disgust.

Then, the dozen or so people were thrown into a dark, damp room.

Later, Jiang Mingxu was rudely dragged aside, tied up, and interrogated about his identity.

"You—a student, where did you get all that money?"

The two brutes punched and kicked Jiang Mingxu, but he refused to say a word.

The men hit him viciously, but due to the leader’s orders, they dared not kill him, lest it affect the "ransom."

The vice-leader watched from the side. He walked up to Jiang Mingxu, crouched down, and used his dagger to lift his chin, his eyes filled with amusement.

Jiang Mingxu just glared at him fiercely.

"Tough bones, eh? I can't touch you! Then I'll start with the people around you." The vice-leader had seen that Jiang Mingxu had two subordinates—one was already dead, and there was one more...